By Own Correspondent| Government is making strides towards ensuring that the country boosts agricultural production through opening up virgin land in a move aimed at ensuring that Zimbabwe becomes the net exporter of agricultural produce in Africa.

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has promised a massive increase in agricultural production adding that because the election season was over, focus should now be on productivity.

In an interview after touring several stands at the Harare Agricultural Show yesterday, VP Chiwenga said he was going to work hard to ensure that Command Agriculture continues to grow so the nation would not only be food and nutrition secure, but also export the produce to the whole of Africa.

Said Chiwenga:

“This time around I think kunotsva badza kuchisara mupinyi, (a Shona proverb meaning there shall be gnashing of teeth because the unthinkable is what will happen).

In fact, we have got plans to open up all the virgin land, which was not being  utilised.

I was in Middle Sabi during the campaigns and I saw that the whole area and Save River next to that and we think, if we drench Save we will have enough water to irrigate the whole area from Tanganda to Mahenye and that area can be used for the production of avocados, oranges, sugarcane and cereal crops.

We should be the net exporter, not only in the SADC region, but on the African continent.”